Random frames from down South!

Hola people :)

Kicking back to the virtual world with some random frames taken during a pilgrimage to various places down South starting from namma Bengaluru and traversing till the southern tip of India and back home, and before you question me when... yes, back in 2013 :)

(view near Sathyamangalam)

(after Sathyamangalam ghats)

(afternoon siesta at Varkala beach)

(evening siesta at Kanyakumari)

(rail crossing on Pambam bridge en-route Rameswaram)

(on the way to Dhanushkodi, farthest point of India)

(far beyond the horizon lies Srilanka)

(Pambam bridge railway track connecting mainland India and Rameswaram)

(the railway bridge that opens up when want to ships sail through...@Pambam)

and for information it was a long road trip across Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala roughly something like this starting from...
Bengaluru - BR hills - Sathyamangalam - Coimbatore - Guruvayoor - Varkala - Trivandrum - Nagercoil - Kanyakumari - Nanguneri(Totadri) - Rameswaram - Madurai - Salem - Bengaluru spanning about 10 days.

Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary birding

Just about a distance of 100 odd kms from Bengaluru is the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. To be precise, it's a pretty huge area that falls under the sanctuary limits but the roads around that lead to and some places on the way offer excellent birding opportunities.

Cauvery river forms a natural boundary between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and closer to Bengaluru, just on its rural area periphery is the Cauvery river and the other side is part of Tamil Nadu. So, naturally the forests around the river basin are rich in flora and fauna and this green belt in a way connects to the Western Ghats (some dry patches cut them though) region if you closely look at the maps in a way which is wonderful continuous corridor we have for the wildlife considering the 'development first' scenario we are in!

Muttathi, Sangama, Mekedatu are the touristy spots on the banks of the river where hordes of people visit and unfortunately where many lose their lives too... sad, but true. Picknicker's paradise, drunkards heaven, family outings, couple's getaway are some of the adjectives that can be used to describe these places. Jungle lodges (www.junglelodges.com) has two excellent properties at Galibore and Bheemeshwari in the surrounding areas of these touristy places.

Birding on the way to i) Dodda Alahalli to Sangama ii) Sangama to Galibore JLR property iii) Halaguru to Bheemeshwari JLR property is good and would yield some wonderful sightings if the observation is keen and sharp.

Below, I'm sharing a few images from multiple trips done to this place and many a times I just would prefer to see and enjoy rather than using the camera :)

(Ashy Prinia)

(Green Imperial Pigeon)

(Indian Silverbill raiding a Baya Weaver's nest)

(a passage migrant - European Bee-eater)

(Brown Fish Owl)

(Baya Weaver - male in all its glory)

(A specialty of this region - Grizzled Giant Squirrel)

(a closer look at the grizzled fluffy wonder)

(Elephantscape - can you spot them?)

Just for the numbers sake, we sighted/heard over 110 species in about 2-3 trips to the region and 8 mammal species including Elephants, Jackals, Giant Squirrels etc.

Points to remember:-
> Wander around in these regions in a group and not alone (there have been some mugging incidents unfortunately and camera's are a real attraction for muggers.
> Carry adequate water and some food (Kanakapura is your best bet else Sangama has good hotels availability for those going towards Galibore. No good options towards Bheemeshwari.
> Do not get off your vehicle inside the sanctuary limits or park your vehicle causing disruption towards traffic.
> Do not litter and leave no trace.
> Carpooling is a better option.
> Do not get into the waters at Sangama / Mekedatu as there are strong under currents and many lives have been lost there.
> Stay safe and happy birding :)

Birding places around Bangalore

There are many birding spots in and around Bangalore (Bengaluru) which is worth a visit for the birdie lovers.

1. Lalbagh botanical gardens: Right in the heart of the city is the Lalbagh, which provides garden and wetland habitats. Experience: Avoid weekends and holidays and choose secluded areas away from the crowd. Plenty of bird life if you have a keen eye and lots of butterflies too and also look out for the majestic trees.

2. Madivala lake: Located near BTM layout on the peripherals (this lake has now reduced drastically in size owing to urbanization all over) is another option. Experience: A promising place with diversity of bird life but the lake gets suffocated fast!

3. Hebbal lake: Just beside the Hebbal flyover is the Hebbal lake, a nice birding place. Experience: A hotspot for Pelicans, Painted storks and other waterfowl.

4. Valley School Road: Lots of places on the Kanakapura road. One of the hot spots is the valley School road. On the Bangalore-kanakapura road, Valley School road is around 15kms from Bangalore, you need to turn right after the NICE flyover coming from Bangalore. Experience: Has become our favorite jaunt for bird watching, already have been here countless number of times, lovely place, wonderful ambiance. Do not venture alone deeper else you would get lost.

5. Manchinbele: Around 30 kms from Bangalore, just before the Tippagondanahall reservoir, on the Bangalore-Magadi main road, take the left turn at the signpost towards Manchinbele dam and subsequently Mysore road. There’s lots of greenery surrounding the hills in every direction serving as a good birding spot. Experience: Lovely place and good for a morning birding session. Access is restricted, beware.

6. Tippagondanahalli (T.G.halli): 35 Kms east of Bangalore, on the Bangalore-Magadi road, you will find T.G.Halli. Experience: Wonderful, lovely, saw many bird species out here but missed the many raptors. If monsoon fails, water levels do down drastically revealing secluded places.

7. Savandurga State Forest: Savandurga is around 60 kms from Bangalore towards the town of Magadi. Manchinbele, T.G.Halli and Savandurga are all in the same locality and can be covered in a day. Experience: Yet to go birding here...

8. Nandi hills: 50kms away from Bangalore on the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway. Experience: Visit here regularly and you wont miss being in the Western Ghats. The sightings every year outdoes the previous years, multiple visits and patience will yield and enviable list from here.

9. Devarayana Durga State Forest (DDSF): Located around 60Kms from Bangalore on the Tumkur highway, this place is quite famous for the Yellow-throated Bulbul. Another must visit place for Birders and nature lovers. Experience: Have made religious trips here, none of birding till now.

10. Bannerghatta National Park: Scrub and forest habitat especially if staying in the Jungle Lodges inside the forest area. Experience: The alley of flycatchers never disappoints. Any time, any weather you still come back with a decent list.

11. Kokkarebellur: Popular for the pelicans (strictly during the "seasons" only, otherwise its a normal village. Its 80kms southwest of Bangalore near Maddur on the way to Mysore. Experience: Had been here twice, once off season and once just the start; 2nd time around saw mostly pelicans in huge numbers and black ibis for the first time.

12. Shivanahalli: A must visit place located on the periphery of the Bannerghatta National Park. The resident swamiji at the Ramakrishna Mission encourages people to visit and offers guides and food. Experience: Seen a lot of bird life on the couple of walks done here, must go regularly.

13. Gulakamale lake: Not only the lake, a little walk around and you will be amazed with the diversity that you will see. A wonderful place a little away from the city. Experience: Mixed bag, seen a lot of raptors and land birds too. Overall, excellent.


Pack your cameras and Happy Birding!


Care for the nature and the nature cares for you!

Kempegowda Towers - the earliest boundaries of Bengaluru!

Kempe Gowda I is a name very synonymous to Bengaluru and the people alike. Well, he is the founder of the city who planned the city in the 16th century. He was a chieftain of the Vijayanagara kingdom. His vision of a pete (town) on the lines of Hampi was bought to life and thus created were the present day Avenue road, Nagarthpet and Chikpet and many forts, temples, tanks and lakes, fascinating isn’t it! Thus came into existence the Bengaluru pete that is now our Bengaluru city.

His grandson Kempe Gowda II built the four towers predicting the limits for the growth of the pete in the future. The towers are said to be built in four corners of the city keeping the Dharmarayaswamy temple as the focal point. I was stunned when I read the fact that the 4 towers geometrically intersect the temple gopuram in an ‘X’ shaped fashion (see the map below), brilliant planning skills! Historians believe there were many such towers in the city and I would be more than happy to know about it!

The locations of the Kempe Gowda Gopuras (Towers) are as below:
(In order of how I traversed and I covered all of them in half a day)

1. Lalbagh Tower (South East Tower)
It’s a prominent landmark and you won’t miss it in Lalbagh. It’s on top of a hillock believed to be centuries old. Enter via the main entrance (double road junction) and the tower is visible right from the entrance. The best maintained of the lot with all granite pillars and flooring.

2. Gavipura Tower (South West Tower)
I will reveal the easy location of this. Ask for Bandi Mahakali temple on the banks of the now dry Kempabudhi Lake; go behind the temple and to your left you would see the gopuram amidst rocks and trees. You need to climb up a few steps to see the tower in full view. A park has been constructed with walkway and play area and a deer park is adjacent to this lake. I roamed nook and corner of the lake and finally decided on giving up on a hot afternoon; plain curiosity led me near to the temple and the tower finally :)

(I will get a better picture next time)

3. Mekhri Circle Tower (North West Tower)
It’s located in a park adjacent to Ramana Maharishi park (you can see the tower from here too albeit from a distance). While moving on Bellary road coming from Windsor Manor bridge, as you near Mekhri circle underpass, get on to the ramp on the left and just before the Bajaj showroom is the park on the left alley. One can see broken statues on the pillar in the picture above, quite different build from the other towers.

4. Ulsoor Tower(North East Tower)
It’s in the Madras Sappers campus and permission to visit is difficult, try your luck with them. You can see the tower from the main road or from the other end of the Ulsoor Lake (from a far distance). As you ride along the opposite bank of Madras Sappers, this tower is clearly visible.

All the four towers are renovated and looked in good shape. I would never know how they looked earlier but seeing all of them painted yellow or white was not a happy sight for me, I just could not connect to the history with them!

Another prominent feature of these towers is that they are all located close to lakes or tanks. Lalbagh Tower near the Lalbagh Lake, Gavipura Tower on the bank of Kempabudhi Lake; Ulsoor Tower on the bank of Ulsoor Lake and the Mekhri Tower close to Sankey Tank. (It would be definite that at that point of time, these towers were exactly on the banks of the lakes that have shrunk drastically in size over the years)

View My Saved Places in a larger map

An afternoon with the bloggers

Since I steeped in to the blogging community, I have had no chance to neither meet any blogger nor attend any blogger meets and the meet this time was an informal one just between the members of our group The Bengaluru Bloggers’ Bistro created for the IBL. Well, the event was just an excuse to meet up and I’m glad I did it. Got to meet interesting people who are all experts in their own domain and the exchange of thoughts and ideas was a fair deal, more importantly got to know a lot of new people personally.

Attendees:

Leo: http://artofleo.wordpress.com/

Gyanban: http://www.gyanban.com/

The Fool: http://luciferhouseinc.blogspot.in/

Harsha Chittar: http://curiousdino.blogspot.in/

Sibichen: http://sibi-cyberdiary.blogspot.in/

Tina Basu http://twinklingtinacooks.blogspot.in/

and myself…

Venue: NGV Club, National Games Village, Bangalore

1^st July 2012, 02-05pm hosted by Sibichen Mathew

Lots of information gained, exchanged and in a way you can say ‘a little enlightenment’ and its great to know how people are still passionate about their passion and hope their passion remains as it is.

Got a lot of gyan from the master Gyanban (well, he got this nickname from his workplace) on what he writes, how he writes and well almost everything. Harsha was curious to meet The Fool and we got an insight on how the ‘devil’s workshop’ runs; he’s a multi-tasker. Instantly all of us were pretty envious of Harsha’s job (he watches movies day in and out) and as he rightly said, boredom sets in once you are doing the same job repeatedly. An unknown fact about passionate poet Leo was that he started writing at the age of 9 (well, he’s gifted) and he says ‘I’ll die if I stop writing’; how many of us can have that kind of a passion! Tina, again is a multi-tasker fiddling with cooking, 55 fiction , short stories and anything that interests her. Sibichen, was the only government employee among the group who shared info about his work and his work on fiction, reviews, stories and stuff he writes about.

Some people write only because they want to write, no to please anyone or to meet anybody’s expectations. You write because you want to write and that’s when your creativity, your thoughts, your feelings, your ideas take a shape of a story, a photo, a fiction in the way you want, the way it should be…!

Happy Blogging!

Adios!

Thindi Beedhi (Food Street) of Bangalore

Heavily inspired to blog about this after viewing Sankara's post on the famous Tindi Beedhi of Bangalore, visited here after a long gap along with Nag to indulge in some savories and to capture some :) Hope I do a little justice to the topic and inspire few more people to visit the street...

Thindi Beedhi or Food Street is a street in VV Puram near Sajjan Rao circle, Bangalore and is one of the oldest localities. Here you find everything to everything typical vegetarian dishes on offer. Earlier this narrow stretch of road used to be filled with only push carts dishing out the varieties but now things have changed a little and its a mix of shops and carts that cater to the huge crowd that throngs here.

One should visit here only for "food" and not facilities or trendy restaurants. If you like standing out in long queues waiting for that special "dosa" or that bisi bisi "bele obbattu" or the spicy "capsicum bonda", then don't waste time in not visiting here. If you are the other kind, then please excuse me! Hygeine is not high but you don't fall sick either :)

We started off with the VB bakery, an old timer with a very huge fan following (I still remember the "Khara Bread" that I used to have from here during my school days). Famous for honey cakes, buns and variety of biscuits, we settled for "Palya Buns" to start off with...

Then started our activity to gobble as many varieties as our stomachs could hold on too, lest its bursts out boom boom :D "Mango Corn masala" was our first victim and it vanished in as quickly as it came, next that caught our attention was the piping hot "Bele Obbattu" that soon vanished again into our tummies in no time. After this off went inside were the Bonda's that are mandatory on our every outing...

With our stomachs feeling strangled with sudden thrust of delicious food items, it was time for some "Jaljeera" to ease the stress and boy, it surely was mouth watering :D
Back to action, next were the Dosa's on our hit list and after discussions we just settled for a dosa each (the rest of the varieties would be tried another time :)). It just tickles your tummy to see so many varieties of dosa on offer, just have a look at the list:
Paper Dosa
Khali Dosa
Onion Dosa
Masala Dosa
Butter Dosa
Pudi Dosa
Set Dosa
Bath Dosa
Avarebele Dosa
Roast Dosa
and many others...!

I missed having the Idli's and Paddu's that are on the hit list of my next visit and the hot Jamuns as well as also a couple of sweets and kulfis as well :)

Can you resist seeing the hot "Jalebis" on offer, well we couldn't and a couple of them vanished soon into our bellies followed by some mouth watering "Kulfi's" on offer... Wanted something spicy and so "Boti masala" was the next target to balance the sugar and the spices in our stomachs!

Finally, we decided to call it a day after much speculation and finished the job with some hot and cold "Badam milk" that acted as a sealing agent for all the stuff gone in :)

I would personally suggest the following do's and dont's so that you have an enjoyable experience out there...


Don't:
Go with a full tummy
Go with a mindset of high hygienic conditions
Go with and idea of sitting and eating
Throw the plates and papers wherever you want, be sensible and use the dustbins


Do:
Go with a mindset to eat, eat and only eat :)
Carry a bottle of drinking water
Try varieties on offer and avoid sticking to one item
Carry some digestives (hajmola's) if you need some!
Help keep the place clean and avoid littering


A typical outing for a couple should cost not more than Rs 200/- per person.

And many thanks to Nagaraj Gaitonde for being the perfect support cast :)
Happy Eating and do share your experiences :)

Ganesha comes together

Well, this is not an travel nor any photographic post but all about Ganesha, the elephant god :)

Arti, a fellow blogger from Mumbai invited readers to contribute to her blog where the different ways of Ganesha festival celebrations would be featured as celebrated in their respective places. At first though a very nice gesture but practically difficult to implement and make the readers contribute to this...

After few days in despair and doubt, she finally managed to put this wonderful article feature 4 of us bloggers contributing their ways of celebrating Ganesha festival from Mumbai, Goa and namma Bengaluru.

Providing the link the the blog of Arti where the article is featured:
http://myyatradiary.com/2011/09/ganesh-chaturthi-celebrations.html

Congratulate Arti on this mighty work and wonderful compilation from the many sources and hope to see more such posts coming on. Her blog http://myyatradiary.com is all about her travel to spiritual destinations and in depth information about those places!

Adios! Happy blogging :)

Birding @ Lalbagh!

The Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, Bengaluru is an 240 acre park started ages ago by the Mysore rulers and later developed during the British empire. Within its lush environs is a 30 acre lake, Glass house (in the form of a diamond), a watch tower erected by the erstwhile ruler Kempegowda and home to numerous exotic species of plants, trees and flowers and also serving as a lung space with fresh air for the people here. Bird life is also abundant with migrants also visiting the park during seasons. Been born and brought up here, all these years Lalbagh was just a place for relaxation, some good long walks, fresh air and some good timepass... but this time I was here on a different mission - birding quite some time after I'm into it! The day was fixed and the time too... but the weather was overcast and it stayed all through the day! We started off from the gate on Siddapura Road, then saw and just saw walkers, joggers everywhere being a sunday, the laughter club people, yogi's, jogi's.... but the birdlife was completey unaudible to us (maybe we were deaf or the overcast weather played spoilsport?). Slowly we drifted away from the crowds, into the bushes and as the sun started making his presence felt, we finally managed some birding at last!

We could not manage many but still sighted a few species...

1.Plum headed Parakeets 2.Brahminy Kites 3.Black Kites 4.Spot billed Duck 5.Egret 6.Asian Koel male 7.Asian Koel female 8.Bay backed Shrike 9.White cheeked Barbet 10.Great Tit 11.Purple rumped Sunbird 12.Tailor bird and a few more...

What we missed were the Owlets, Pelicans and few other resident commonly seen species. We will be back here soon at a proper time for some more good proper birding..

Patience is a virtue!

Care for the nature and the nature cares for you!